FBI Pulls Plug on ‘Freemen’ Ranch Power

Tightening the knot on the Montana “freemen,” the FBI cut off power Monday to the anti-government group’s remote Montana ranch and swooped a helicopter low over the heart of the compound before easing back again to wait.

In their most aggressive step yet to end the 71-day-old standoff in northeastern Montana, law enforcement officials switched off the electricity at 2 p.m., shortly before a low-flying helicopter circled briefly over the sentry post where the freemen have flown an American flag upside down.

The FBI did not characterize the power cutoff as the beginning of a siege, however, but said it was “another effort to persuade the freemen to resume negotiations for a peaceful settlement.”

In a statement distributed to reporters outside the compound, the agency emphasized that it “hopes there can be a peaceful resolution without jeopardizing the safety of law enforcement personnel or others.

“At the same time, the FBI intends to keep open all lawful options,” the statement said.

Law enforcement officials have characterized the helicopter and three armored vehicles now posted near the compound as “rescue” vehicles that are “defensive in nature,” designed to “protect the safety of the occupants by offering armored protection.”

A second helicopter was seen parked late Monday at the FBI’s staging compound in Jordan, 35 miles south of the freemen ranch.

After the power cutoff, several inhabitants of the ranch could be seen working around a large tractor, the engine of which is expected to be used to power up at least one generator known to be at the compound, along with a large storage of diesel fuel. It was unclear how long the group could hold on without outside power.

Other residents of the compound scurried around outside as the helicopter zoomed above.

Eighteen people have been holed up inside the compound since March 25, when the FBI used a ruse to arrest freemen leaders LeRoy Schweitzer and Daniel Peterson. Those remaining include about a dozen suspected freemen wanted on charges of writing bogus money orders and threatening to kidnap and kill a federal judge. Others are wanted on a variety of other criminal charges in several states. Three children are among the 18.

The power cutoff comes amid growing pressure within this small farming and ranching community to end a standoff that has paralyzed the town and left most of its residents in a constant state of unease.

This week, community leaders are scheduled to present to the county sheriff about 200 signatures on a petition urging law enforcement officials to issue an ultimatum to the freemen and endorsing the use of “reasonable” force to apprehend the suspects.

“This thing just seems to drag on and on, and the majority of the people of Garfield County would just like to see it concluded,” said Brent McRae, a Jordan rancher who has organized the petition drive.

He said residents have watched for weeks as a parade of negotiators has gone in and out of the freemen compound, all of them, in the end, expressing frustration and defeat.

“I think that’s led to a general thought that, by golly, it’s got to end, it can’t go on forever. Sixty days, 70 days are long enough. The FBI needs to step up their tactics,” McRae said.

The signature drive is a dramatic counterpoint to a campaign early in the standoff, when dozens of Jordan residents signed petitions urging federal officials to use caution and restraint. They expressed then a willingness to forgive their neighbors.

That, McRae said, was more than two months ago. “It’s just hard to comprehend a situation where an entire county really was held hostage by these people,” he said. “I’m relatively certain if I went out and wrote a lot of bad checks, thumbed my nose at the government, told the county attorney and the sheriff I was going to kill them, I’d be arrested pretty quickly. But the political arena won’t let the Justice Department do the job.”

In shutting off the power, the FBI connected emergency generators that will continue to supply electricity to some 41 neighboring ranches near the freemen compound which are wired into the same circuit.